Quote Originally Posted by TennVol View Post
I am a firm believer in the theory there is no such thing as using too much gun for your quarry. Dead is dead. I want my deer/elk to drop where they are shot. I don't mind "losing" a bit of meat by erring on the side of a bigger caliber. I'm not a huge fan of tracking deer/elk for a long ways after they've been shot.

As long as you can shoot your rifle accurately, use whatever caliber floats your boat. Just use one big enough to get the job done and put the round where it needs to go (shoulder, heart, lungs).

Just my $.02 worth....

I feel the same way, I like to be prepared and be able to shot very accurately, but there is a large difference between at the range and being in the woods getting ready to take an animal that is staring at you or pissed and your heart is racing!
I have tracked an elk for about 3 hours after a .50 cal shot that went through both lungs...elk are amazing and have a huge sense of wanting to live...deer and antelope IMO are happy to die for the most part, but elk struggle to the very end.